So many to choose from!

Great Subject!

Let me toss out a few that I consider to be underrated cloubrids.

Of course first and foremost with me I find the African House Snakes to be way underrated and exceptional pets. Keep them warm, feed them and give them water and they will thrive. Males tend to top at 3 feet, females tend to top at 4 with only the most exceptional getting near 5.

Here are three of my top picks for "normal" [non morph] house snakes

First a "red phase" dotted house snake from Tanzania these are the most common house snakes in the trade today.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna...d_female_1.JPG

Next here is my favorite this is a "Zululand" House Snake. More properly known as a Cape House Snake or Lamprophis Capensis.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna...ake_male_4.JPG

Next is L. linitus or the striped house snake. These are a bit harder to come by, I should have some hatchlings this fall.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna...female-2-2.JPG

Now some others I find way under rated also would include the black milk snake. These are just stunning getting 5-6 feet at maturity and honestly are as beautiful as any indigo snake. Very easy to care for too.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/snakes/blackmilk.jpg

Both the Blue and Taiwan Beauties are just awesome and you will win MedusaOwl over as a BFF to boot. Here is one of each. Only thing is they get big 8-10 feet.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/snakes/bluebeauty.jpg

And the Taiwan

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna...iwanbeauty.jpg

Switching Gears there is the Egyptian Diadem Snake. Cool snake they are supposed to be kind of mean but my pair are pretty tame. Here is one of them.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna...em/diadem1.JPG

Next up would be a Madagascar Cat Eyed Snake. Just got my first one this summer and I already know I need to get a male to breed her with. Isn't she just adorable.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna.../cateyed-2.JPG

I also think bull snakes are over looked quite often. They are easy to keep, beautiful, get big but not massive and are pretty gentle to handle. Here is my lovely het amel kingsville red from the John Ginter line.

http://www.jackspirko.com/images/sna.../redbull-2.JPG

I guess my point is think outside of the box a little bit there is a lot of underrated really cool snakes out there. This massive and cool diversity is part of why I get upset when I see parents letting 14 year old kids buy a burm or a retic. All the snake above are a much better choice for most people to consider. And honestly I have only scratched the surface of even my own collection. And yes I too still want more!

http://www.cornsnake.net/gallery.php3?id=8
here is my fav.

i think some people on this forum will already know that my fave is the taiwan beauty snake! The picture of her below was from when she was just over 6 feet long, a few months ago, not she 7.5feet and shedding more regularly than my 9 month old BP!! get one of these :).....

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...G2263small.JPG

I love the looks of the beauty snakes. I love that they get big but are not girthy enough to be dangerous. or am I wrong about that?

my current favorites (though I own none yet) are the green cat eyed snake, the rhino ratsnake, and the lovely Thai red rountain ratsnake

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fishmommy

I love the looks of the beauty snakes. I love that they get big but are not girthy enough to be dangerous. or am I wrong about that?

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No you are as my Brittish friends would say, "spot on". A massive beauty will have the girth of about a coke can or standard water bottle like they sell water in at the store when fully grown and well fed.

Also a ton of the length is very narrow tail. That thin little tail just goes on foever. It is also one point of concern, you really need to give them enough humidity to make sure they shed well. Tiny tail tip could easily be subject to rot or damage from poor shed.

They can be really agressive if you buy a wild caught or if you buy one that has grown up in the care of a large scale breeder with no real handling. My advice get a baby OR if you buy an adult make sure you have the opportunity to handle it BEFORE you buy.

It would also be ok if you were looking for breed stock to deal with an agressive animal if that got you an adult and that was your goal. Yet a mean 10 foot snake that can lift its head about 4-5 feet off the ground is not much fun.

In my experience any baby handled frequently is as gentle as any typical rat snake.

Back to your question there is no danger from any beauty snake doing any real damage. A bit from a big one could need a stitch or two, may be. Yet there is no danger of constriction to an adult.